The Definition of Super
by DestinyJade
Summary: A Synlet SyndromexViolet Romance. Time frame: Around 4 years after the movie.
1. Chapter 1

"There's no way!"  
>"Listen, Kari I know it seems like a bad idea but I know I can do this."<br>"Violet... The day you sneak out of your parents house will be the day hell freezes over."  
>"It's only for one night. My parents will never even notice!"<p>

Violet sat for a moment poking at her lunch and absent mindlessly tugged on her ebony black hair. She thought about how she would sneak out of her house in order to go to tonight's party.

Sneaking out would be the easy part. She was mainly concerned about disobeying her parents. She prized herself off her 4.0 GPA and she held the privilege of being her senior class's valedictorian. Sneaking out to go to a party was not just out of character but absolutely insane.

Yet the more she thought of it, the more excited she would get. It wasn't about the people or about going against her parents, it was the fact that this party was important to every graduate. All of the seniors would be going and she did not want to be the one sitting at home watching reruns. Another factor was that her boyfriend Tony was thrilled to be going.

He was really upset when she told him she wasn't able to go. Since she had told him know she had noticed more and more how he seemed to be disappointed. Even though they have been dating each other for years she was alarmed to see him be so upset. She knew she had to go to this party, not just for herself but mainly for him.

After all the two of them normally did everything together. They were even going to attend the same college after graduation. Violet cringed as she thought back about asking her parents to go to the party.

_The Parr family sat at their dinner table discussing their day. As Dash rambled about how he couldn't stand school Violet sat eyeing her parents. She was on a mission. She knew she needed to ask to go to the party yet the thought of being turned down was holding her back._

"There's nothing to worry about", Violet thought, "I deserve to go to this party. I haven't given them any reason the not trust me."

Taking in a deep breath she blurted out, "Can I please go to a party on Saturday?"

Silence filled the room. Dash glared at his older sister, frustrated at the fact that he was interrupted mid sentence.

Her father, Bob Parr, put his fork down and eyed Helen, Violets mother.

Her father was the first to speak, "What kind of party is it?"  
>Violet squirmed in her seat. Maybe right now wasn't the right time to ask… And on top of that she knew the party would be... Mostly clean but there was one thing her parents wouldn't like.<p>

_"It's just a simple party. It's actually a all senior's party. And seeing how I am a senior I can't possibly miss it." Violet forced out a uncomfortable chuckle and began to take a huge bite of her food. She hoped he wouldn't say what she's been avoiding all night.__  
>"Who's throwing this party?"<br>"Well… Mark is. I-"  
>"Mark? Isn't he that punk football player who recently got suspended for drug use?"<br>"Well, yeah he was but it'll be fine. I wouldn't be hanging out with him just Tony and Kari. You know you can trust us."  
>Helen spoke up saying, "This isn't about trust Violet. Having a party full of high school seniors without supervision will only lead to chaos."<em>_  
>"I understand that mom but this is different. You know how responsible we are. We wouldn't allow anything stupid to happen."<br>Bob heaved a sigh, "Violet I just do not feel comfortable with you going. Mark isn't really responsible and the idea of having a party at night with no adults just isn't going to work with me."  
>Violets purple eyes widened as she heard this.<em>_  
>"I can't believe this. I'm put in dangerous situations all the time and yet that's okay? I am not a child for you to control."<em>

_With that Violet stormed off to her room. _

Violet was thrown out of her flashback and stared at the red headed freshman boy being tossed around like a baseball around the lunch hall. Mark and his group were at it again. Her parents were possibly right but she couldn't possibly miss this party.

Saturday night

Tonight was the night. Violet hasn't said a word to her parents since she asked to go to the party. She ate dinner and went straight to her room. It was 7:00pm and the party was at 8:30pm.

Violet wasted no time preparing to sneak out. She rushed to her closet and pulled out a few shirts and a few bottoms. She stared at the collection of clothes. Black seemed to be her wardrobe. She preferred something comfortable but wanted to impress Tony. She pulled out a off the shoulder shirt that was golden and slightly baggy along with form fitting dark blue jeans. She put it on and examined herself in her mirror. She finished it off with some earrings and two bracelets. Then she started to brush her hair she reached for her headband and hesitated. Tonight was the night to celebrate being an adult and moving forward in life. She grabbed the curling iron and went to work. Once she had her hair curled she decided to throw some of it up to do a half do. Her black hair seemed to shimmer in the lighting. Then she moved on to make up. Normally she would wear neutral browns but not tonight. She pulled out her metallic gold and Smokey black eye shadow. Then put on some pinkish nude shimmering lip-gloss.

"This is going better than I thought," She said out loud with a laugh.

She than began to set up for her escape plan. She did the typical pillows under the blanket thing to imitate her body as if she was sleeping, which was completely cliché to her but she had to do something. She checked her watch.

8:00pm

She turned her lights off and glanced out her window. She sat by her bed putting her shoes on. The door began to creek open. Violet quickly laid down on her bed hiding the pillows.  
>"Hey Violet, I just wanted to say that I am proud of you. I know you think that your mother and I are making a bad decision but I am grateful that you at least listened."<br>Through the dark, Bob heard a muffled "I know" come from the bed. He stood in the doorway and sighed, "I love you so much."  
>Violet seemed to shrink in the darkness. She muttered out an "I love you." With that Bob left the room.<p>

Hesitation, panic, and guilt flooded her. She questioned the whole idea than with determination Violet rushed out the window and disappeared into the night.

9:45pm

Chaos

Absolute Chaos

People were not only "having a good time" but they were wrecking the house.

Violet grabbed onto Tony's arm as he guided them to the back yard.

As they made it to the backyard they grabbed two chairs and made their way as far from the group as possible.

"It's nice getting somewhere a little… more quiet." Violet stated.

"I guess… if you could say that." Violet could tell that Tony was exhausted about the whole thing.

Violet was thoroughly upset. This wasn't going anything like she hoped it would.

Kari picked her up a few houses down from Violet. They then made their way to the party. The moment they entered Marks house Kari was off mingling and doing whatever she could possibly do with her time, leaving Violet to search for Tony.

Violet was shocked to find Tony in the living room surrounded by people, specifically a girl Violet didn't recognize. As she walked over to the group both Tony and the unknown girl stopped talking.

Violet entered the scene and hesitated. There was a moment of slience until Violet spoke up, "Who's your friend Tony?"

"Uh, Hey Violet. I didn't realize you were coming. This is Becca"

With a perky response Rebecca said, "Nice to meet you… Violet was it?" Violet tried to not show her frustration.

Rebecca than went on to ask, "How do you know Tony?"

Violet shifted her weight and shakily said, "Oh Tony didn't tell you? We've been dating for years", Violet rolled her eyes then said, "Tony can we get some air?"

Violet waited for Tony to mention how she looked or even say something positive about her being there yet all she received was an awkward glances and slience.  
>They did their best to make it to the back yard but they kept getting stopped to talk and socialize. Violet couldn't help but notice Rebecca eyeing them all night. Drinks were being poured and Violet kept her word by not accepting any of them. While people started to get drunk and act like idiots, she would just follow Tony around like a shadow.<p>

Hours went by and Tony seemed to finally remember that Violet wanted to go outside. He led her by the hand and tried to not run into people. It was really difficult seeing how the house was packed wall to wall.

Now here they were, outside watching Mark's house get destroyed from the inside out.

"So what do you think of the party? You seem a little distracted tonight…" Violet couldn't help but sound concerned.

"Everything is fine Violet. I just have a lot on my mind… Why did you come tonight? I thought your parents said no?"

"I came tonight so we can spend time together. I knew how you really were upset that I wasn't coming so I did what I needed to do."

"So you snuck out?"

"Yeah… I thought you would be happy to see me? Why are your acting like I shouldn't of come?"

"Violet, it's not that I am not happy it's just…" Tony's voice just faded off as he lowered his head.

"Just what?"

"I just wasn't prepared. That's all" Tony tried to force a smile as he studied his hands.

"Prepared? I… I'm sorry I didn't think I needed to prepare you beforehand. I wanted to surprise you."

"I was surprised. It's not that big of a deal Violet. Forget I said anything."

The two of them sat in an awkward silence for about 10 minutes. They glanced around everywhere except at each other. Finally Violet couldn't take it anymore.

"Tony if I did something wrong you need to just tell me."

"It's not that you are doing something wrong or did something wrong it's just… I just don't know how to put it…"

"Well go ahead and say it. I can handle it and I don't want to see you upset anymore."

"Violet I have had a lot on my mind lately I just don't want to talk about it."

"But you've been acting like this all night. Just don't you just talk to me?" Violet reached out and tried to grab Tonys hand but he pulled away.

"Violet I just… I just am tired of this."

"Tired of what?"

"It's been years yet all we do is the same thing over and over and over."

Violet sat eyeing Tony's face. His brown eyes met hers. Tony really hasn't changed much over the years. But she knew that this must have been bothering him for a while now and to think the whole time she thought it was just a stupid party.

"It's a system Tony. We can get out of it. I mean look at tonight. I wouldn't have ever thought about sneaking out but here we are. I know we can get out of this rut."

Tony stood up suddenly and whirled around to face Violet, "How Violet? It's been three years. Three years. I hoped that we could get out of this rut for months now but nothing's changed. I'm not happy anymore. This is just becoming more and more stressful with each passing day."

"Not happy? Tony we are both happy. If you aren't happy then why would YOU suggest going to the same college?", Violet fought back the threatening tears and went on, "If it's been months why haven't you talked to me?!" She wasn't prepared for any of this.

"I'm sorry Violet… Maybe that's the problem. Maybe we are spending too much time together… I didn't see this coming when we applied for Columbia University. Things have just changed. Why haven't you noticed?"

Truth is told Violet did notice. She noticed the conversations fading, the fact that he hasn't brought up Columbia University since they both found out they were accepted, and the little fights and miscommunication they were experiencing. But she wanted to avoid it. She thought it would all fix itself. She wanted to hold on to any bit of hope she had.

"But that doesn't mean we need some time off… we just need to fix what needs to be fixed. We can spice it up Tony we can change things. Whatever it takes but anything but time off…" She sounded desperate and pathetic to her own ears.

"Violet I've been thinking about this a lot for the last couple months. I'm not happy. It's that simple. I don't think I can keep going on being fake."

"How can you say you're not happy?" Violet could feel the tears falling down her cheeks, "Tony I—"

"I'm sorry Violet it's just I need space. Please don't make this bigger than it needs to be."

Violet noticed how the backyard seemed to get quiet. She glanced up to see people eyeing them. She must be making a scene. As she glanced around the crowd she saw a tall slender blonde blue eyed figure – Rebecca.

Violet flung back to Tony, "Are you bored with me? Are you interested in someone else?"

"What?! No Violet that's not it. You're just not getting it. I just need some space."

Tony started to walk closer to her and lowered his voice, "Violet I think you should go home… Your parents are probably worried. I can give you a ride if you want."

Violets head felt like it was spinning. This couldn't be happening. Everything seemed to blur together as she ran into the house. She felt like she was going insane. She looked frantically around for Kari. Finally she spotted her talking to a few people.

"Kari I need to go home…"

"Whoa Violet what happened? Are you alright? You look like a wreck."

Violet couldn't imagine how she looked. She knew her face was probably all red and her makeup must have been fading and smeared.

Violet's voice shook as she whispered, " I need to go home."

Kari studied Violet for a second. She knew this wasn't a small situation. Then it clicked. Tony. They were together tonight so where was he now? She scanned the room to find Tony putting his coat on and heading for the door. Rebecca was hot on his heels.

Kari put on her best smile and grabbed Violets hand, "Of course Violet… We'll get you home."

Before she knew it Violet was sneaking back into her house.

Denial was the only thing going through Violets head.

She thought everything was going perfect. He was happy and She was happy. Or was he really happy? All of the fake smiles. She couldn't stand it. They must of been happy. There's no way he wasn't... This couldn't have had been it.

She had never felt more alone and invisible than this moment.

She crawled into bed like a wounded animal and hugged her legs to her chest. Sobs broke out until she finally fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_People just do not understand what it feels like to be… _special.

_There's a certain nickname to it, this nickname is "_Super_". But not everyone is special not everyone is _super_._

_It's a gift._

_Some may even say it's a curse._

_To be _super_ means you will have to have higher standards. You have to force yourself to be strong and to not be tempted to corrupt your gift. It's a fragile system that could break by the tiniest slip up. When one happens to abuse his or her gift something happens… Something that is nearly impossible to undo._

_Darkness starts to surround the inner heart. Corruption begins to plant a seed of bitterness. Selfishness becomes the only goal, the only thing that matters. Greed starts to starve the soul. And before you know it Death will be the only thing that surrounds you…_

_Define _Super_. Is it supernatural powers or is it something simpler… like desiring to help others? Could it be the hopeful desire to be different… to be unique?_

_Look at Batman. He wasn't _super_. But he WAS _special_. He strived to keep justice and wouldn't allow crime to flourish. But he didn't do this alone. He had Robin, a trustworthy crime fighting sidekick. Sure Batman had other characters that helped but Robin was his right hand man._

_I would grow up amazed by Batman and Robin. How they would overcome crime and defend justice… even though they weren't _super_. They had no powers just their physical and intellectual strengths. That's what I wanted. I wanted to be like them._

_I wasn't anywhere near _super_… but I was _special_. I knew I was. I knew I was like Robin… the sidekick that strived to please his hero. My hero was the only person I wanted to be like. He saved hundreds. He was honored._

_My Hero, Mr. Incredible, was like no other _super_. He was tremendously strong, he could handle pain, and above all he wanted justice. Over the years I studied how he acted. What he stood and fought for. I believed in what he fought for. In fact, I strived to discover how I could become more like him, even despite the fact that I wasn't… _super_._

_That night… the night that changed my life, was the night that I realized that even heroes had a dark side._

_"Fly home, Buddy. I work alone"._

_Imagine… Batman telling Robin that he wasn't needed… That HE worked alone.__  
><em>_That night I wasn't just surrounded by darkness, rather I invited it. I embraced it. The image of Mr. "Incredible" grew more and more corrupted in my mind. The bitterness consumed me. I strived off of it. Improving myself… my mind… my creations… everything changed. If Mr. Incredible wouldn't allow me to use my talents for the good of mankind, then I would use my gifts for myself. I didn't need him. I didn't need to be _super_. I only needed my own strength. I'll kill as many _supers_ as I need in order to prove to myself… to prove to HIM that I am _super_. That I am _special_. _

_That I, Buddy Pine, do not need anyone._

The cold air felt like a knife going through Syndromes back. He glanced at himself in the mirror and sighed. It's been around 19 years since that night. Yet the nightmares still seem to plague him. His piercing blue eyes went up and down in the mirror. Scars covered his body. Buddy grabbed his left shoulder and felt nothing. He put a fresh T-Shirt on and with his jacket and headed out the door.

It has been around 4 years since the actual accident. He lost everything. His money, his weapons, his empire… all lost within a week. Forget about all of that. The only thing he would never recover from was losing his pride… looking like a weak fool in front of him. He had Mr. Incredible's life in his hands… yet he wasted time letting greed get in the way. Buddy could get the money back, recreate weapons and even build a new empire… but once again he looked like a childish fool in front of the very man he strived to prove wrong.

Now all Buddy could do was recover from it. He needed to remain in hiding until he could get back in contact with his previous clients. It would be too much of a risk to return to that life without the resources. After all, the Super Agency would be down his neck right when he attempts to move. He was almost ready to go back in business though. All he needed was a few more weeks, and then even the "Super" Agency wouldn't be able to catch him.

Buddy pulled on his jacket. You could hear thunder as he walked in the trendy little coffee shop. He ordered coffee and sat down with his laptop. He felt like a bird in a cage. He was ready to break out of hiding. Lifting his eyes from his laptop he lazily glanced around the shop. Strangers. He was always surrounded by strangers.

It seemed like years since he last was able to enjoy a conversation with another person. Images of a tall slender white haired woman plagued his mind. Her voice, Her eyes, Her touch…

Buddy slammed his fist on the table and put his head in his hands. Words couldn't describe how he felt. Mirage was the only woman who seemed to be interested in what he enjoyed. She was attracted to power and Buddy was that power. Until the very man who he strived to destroy, took what he loved. The pain and emptiness he felt was suffocating.

Buddy closed his eyes and took a drink from his coffee. He wanted to turn his mind of, to stop thinking of the past... Of the pain. He glanced around the room once more. His eyes made it out side through the window to see rain drops falling. The trees blew swiftly in the wind. He watched as strangers discussed trivial topics. Some people looked so joyful while others were full of concern. He couldn't help but wonder what they were so joyful about or why some were so bothered. He imagined what it was like to go day to day discussing small maters and living… normal.

Buddy sighed and stood up. He decided to buy the local paper and get a refill for his coffee. He made his way back to his seat and scanned the first page. He noticed a few "super" announcements of typical supers saving the day and his eyes than rolled across a certain image.

He took the whole image in… In big bold letters was "The Incredible Team". His eyes focused on each face. Of a blonde haired boy slightly blurred due to the fact that he didn't stay still long enough to get a full image, then a tall middle aged woman with her limbs stretched across grabbing one of the villains. Further down in the image was a younger woman with long black hair protecting innocent civilians and then his eyes focused intensely on the face that's haunted him since he was a boy. Mr. Incredible. He couldn't help but think of how ironic is was that the man who worked alone now had his whole family fighting with him. Buddy stopped and wondered how different things would have been if he was able to…

*SLAM*

Buddy's eyes darted up to see a woman visibly startled. Obviously the coffee shop door slammed when she walked in due to the wind. She made her way to the register. Buddy tried to calm his now frantically pounding heart and turned his attention back to the newspaper.

He continued reading as the rain kept falling.


	3. Chapter 3

Violet finally finished her grave yard shift as a clerk at the local food market. She had been up a majority of the night and was starting to feel sick from the lack of sleep. She drove toward the little coffee shop. The rain started to pick up and the wind seemed to be threatening to blow her away with every step.

As she entered the shop the terror of the wind caused the door to slam right behind her. She felt like she was shot by a gun. She almost dropped all of her belongings but made sure to focus. Her head was pounding and she felt her heart beating frantically in her chest. She made her way to the overly cheerful coffee worker and ordered her drink, bought the newspaper and made her way to an empty seat.

She sat staring at her full cup of coffee. Grey. Everything seemed grey to her. It has been almost a month since the night Tony broke up with her… She closed her eyes to prevent any tears from coming. She felt so weak, so pathetic. She really couldn't blame Tony for his actions. After all who would want to date someone who constantly had to run out on him? She knew that if she was in Tony's place than she _might_ have done the same. Yet it didn't help her feel any better about the situation.

Her mom always seemed to remind her that supers would struggle with relationships due to the fact that they had to live a double life. Violet always kept that in mind but the longer she dated Tony the more she considered giving up the heroic life… She loved nothing more than being a super but the thought of being alone was too much for her to handle.

She sighed and looked up around the coffee shop. She noticed that she knew at least half the people in the small shop. Part of her wanted to stand up and switch seats to be closer to someone she knew, to feel the false comfort of being near a familiar face. But Violet knew that even though she knew these people that it didn't make them her friends.

She couldn't help but feel alone. Since Tony broke up with her she realized how many fake friends she had, how she was just always alone in a crowd. She couldn't wait to graduate in a few weeks and to leave all of the lies.

The only one who stood by her was Kari but Violet was too busy to spend time with her since she picked up her new job. It felt like she had no friends and no one who cared about her. Even now in the coffee shop she was surrounded by people she knew but she felt like they were strangers. The whole atmosphere was suffocating and overwhelming.

She glanced at the front page of the newspaper to see an image of her and her family fighting a local villain. She looks so strong, so bold, and so incredible in that image. She looked like a true super. Yet when the mask was off she was back to her insecure lonely self. She hated being like this. She knew that she needed to get back to how she used to be. Yet it was too difficult. She felt like she was stuck in the deepest darkest hole with no hope of seeing light.

She didn't need a doctor to know that she was depressed. Anyone could tell that she was depressed but she knew that she needed to learn how to overcome it; after all she was a super. There was no way she could be consumed by depression. She viewed it as any other type of battle. She had to use all of her strength to fight and win. Yet this was a battle she knew she was losing. A part of her wanted to get better and to move on yet another larger part of her wanted to throw in the towel and give up. It was becoming too much to bare.

She glanced around the coffee shop and scanned the faces of those in the room. Everyone seemed so grey to her. All of the color seemed to be drained. As she listened to the rain in the background. Her eyes went from the farthest part of the room left to right. Grey. Grey. Grey. Then something caught her attention. It reminded her of a sort of fire. Reddish orange strands of hair was slicked to the side of a broad figure. She narrowed her eyes trying to focus on this figure. Her heart skipped a beat. She felt like she was going to be sick. This man reminded her of something dark, of a nightmare she wanted to forget. She couldn't understand it but she knew that this man before her resembled the very man who altered her life. But she knew it wasn't him. She let out a crazed laugh and grabbed onto the table. **He** was dead. She watched with her own eyes that man be destroyed. The agency even found the body. Her stare lingered on. She went up and down and back to the face. The man was looking down at a newspaper. Such a resemblance, it was absolutely sickening. Violet must have been staring to long because the man glanced up from his paper. Icy Blue eyes met frightened purple.

"Those eyes…"

Violet knew. The chair screeched as she stood up and dashed for the door. She made her way outside and dashed for her car. She shakily unlocked her car door and headed to the only place she could go.

Home.

What should she do? Syndrome could be following her home. She should phone the Agency but she couldn't find the power to do it. Did they lie to her and her family? They said He was dead but that was definitely him…She felt like she was in a nightmare. The world was spinning past her and she knew she was going to be sick. She wanted to deny that it happened, to get rid of the image of his face out of her head.

She frantically pulled into her driveway. She stormed into her house to find her mother in the living room taking care of Jack Jack. She could see that her father and Dash were in the dining room.

Helen scanned Violet, "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Violet glanced at her mom. She felt like she was insane.

"Mom I—"

"What's going on?" Violet glanced at her father and dash as they entered the room.

Violet stammered with her words. She had no idea how to say it.

"Violet what's the matter?" Bob was starting to become impatient.

"I- I think I saw him…"

"Saw who?"

Violet could barely contain the panic in her voice, "I… I saw Syndrome…"

Bob's face showed confusion. "That isn't possible Violet." He took a step back and glanced at Helen.

"I thought that to dad but there's no doubt that it was him."

Helen intervened and said, "Violet how are you so sure?"

"Well at first I wasn't… I was at the Coffee shop and then I saw a man… who really resembled him… I doubted if it was him at first… but… his eyes…"

"The Coffee Shop?" Dash tried to hold back a laugh.

"Yeah… Coffee…" Violet glanced around the room. She was met back with blank stares. She felt insane. Something was wrong. Why didn't they believe her? An awkward silence filled the room.

"I know it seems hard to believe but he was right in front of me! He was reading the newspaper and -"

Bob was first to speak.

"Alright Violet, Did you phone the Agency?"

"Well no… I—"

"You know the rules. If you saw him why didn't you call in?"

Violet threw her arms in the air, "I assumed they lied to us… after all how is he alive?! They said he was dead. But I saw him!"

Bob glanced at Helen. They didn't know what to do with Violet. Ever since the breakup she hasn't been… stable. She was an emotional wreck and who could blame her? It didn't help that she has been over working herself with night shifts since the breakup.

"None… None of you believe me do you..."

Helen and Bob both glanced at Violet. No one dared to answer.

Violet searched their eyes and only felt anguish. All the fear she felt a moment ago went numb. She slowly walked to the hall way. She felt just as empty as she did when she had to crawl back into her room that night of the party.

Before disappearing into her room, she glanced back one more time just to find her parents still standing there with nothing to say. Pity was the only thing she saw in their eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Violet awoke with a pounding in her head, she had fallen asleep at her desk during class. It had been days since she spoke with her parents regarding what she saw. Graduation was in two weeks and knew she needed to prepare herself. Helen had intervened days ago and had her shifts from work adjusted. She wouldn't have to work for the next two weeks. Normally she would feel upset about something like this but she couldn't seem to muster up any emotion.

The last couple of days was filled with silence and emptiness. She hadn't worked and was prohibited from any super events. Kari tried to call and spend time with her but she knew she wouldn't be able to put on a fake smile and act like everything was alright.

Nothing was alright. Everything was a lie and it all started with the Agency. Paranoia suffocated her when she was alone. She knew Syndrome was out there and she knew the Agency had something to do with it. Her family was lied to and yet when Violet tried to help she was essentially grounded. She didn't want to be fixed because she knew she wasn't broken.

The school bell sounded throughout the room and Violet stood with a startle. She made her way out of the building to her car.

She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. She couldn't stay in the parking lot and knew she didn't want to go home. Robotically she started the engine and started to drive. The world around her seemed to blend until she reached a stop. Her eyes darted to the sign before her. Had she really driven herself back to this coffee shop? She should drive home, or call her parents. Anything was better than being here. She thought about all of this as she left her car and made her way to the shop.

She opened the door gingerly and eyed the room. Nothing seemed to stand out. She made her way through the room and to the register. The usual barista smiled as she ordered her coffee.

Violet sighed. She knew that she was growing unstable. Seeking isolation, she left the main room to go to one of the more separated closed off rooms shutting the door behind her as she sat down to her seat.

*Ring*

Violet glanced at her cell phone as it read 'MOM'.

"Hey Mom.. I-"

"Where are you Violet?!"

"I'm fine, I just wanted to take a moment for myself. I'm sorry I didn't check in."

Violet could hear the hesitation in Helens voice.

"That's great Sweetie, I'm sorry that I worried. Dinner's going to be ready soon. It would be nice to have you home sooner than later."

Violet rolled her eyes, "Of course. I'll head home in a few minutes."

She hung up the phone and leaned into her seat.

"Well, well, well, sounds to me that someone's being monitored."

Violet's head snapped up. She must of missed the click of the door. The background music seemed to muffle and everything seemed to focus on the man before her.

"No... No it can't be Syn-"

"Hey watch it." Buddy leaned forward as he took a seat and lowered his voice with a smirk, " Careful with the name. Even behind closed doors I rather you keep it to Buddy. After all we never know who's listening."

Violet felt her head spinning. She gripped the table to steady herself and took a deep breath. She could smell his cologne as he leaned in to whisper.

"So what do we do now? I'm sure you're thinking about calling your good doer family and of course they could rush to see that I am in fact not dead or maybe we could just have a chat."

"There is nothing I would want to discuss with you. You are insane. You are a murderer. And you should be dead." With each passing sentence Violet watched Buddy's smile grow.

She straightened her jaw and stared him right in the eyes.

"I have to say that I was just as shocked to see you. I expected to see something a little more... how do I put it... super yet all I see is an average woman looking far too shaky-"

"Go to Hell." The chair that Violet was sitting in screeched as she stood. She shifted her stuff as her wrist was grabbed. Her head snapped down as she looked at him.

His face was serious now, " Do you really think that I am done speaking with you?"

"What makes you think that I won't kick your ass right here right now? Hell, nothing is stopping me from contacting the Agency at this very moment."

He released a long sigh and let go of her wrist, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Go ahead but to fair, I know that you aren't planning on dealing with your precious Agency. If you were you would of already called days ago."

Violet glanced at the door, She felt lost in the moment and knew she would regret her decision but she found herself sitting back down.

"I don't care about the Agency. My focus is for my family and myself," she reasoned, " What do you want and why are you here."

Buddy found himself rolling his eyes and leaning back in his chair.

"Obviously I was here for the coffee but recently I found myself staying for the company. Tell me, how is the family doing? I couldn't help but notice your lack of appearance on the recent adventures? I'm sure daddy's disappointed." he smiled with a click of his tongue. "Must be overwhelming not being able to keep up."

"Don't talk about my father," she muttered defiantly, "My family does not concern you."

"Oh did I touch a nerve there? Let's try this again. Tell me, what's a woman like you planning on doing when this is all over? Continue with the charades or are you going to run to mommy and daddy for help? It's not every day that you find yourself a dead villain."

She inhaled sharply. She honestly didn't know what to do. The Agency was out of the question and the thought of telling her family again was mortifying. She could still see the look of despair and pity on her parents' faces. She swallowed and looked him in the eyes trying to match his cockiness.

"It must be difficult for you, _Buddy,_ to find yourself dealing with the daughter of your enemy and to have failed terribly in front of the very man you sought to destroy."

Buddy hesitated for a moment while he was drinking his coffee.

"Seriously though, I can only imagine how it must feel," she smiled smoothly and leaned forward, "Watching the man you loathe doing so much better than you-"

"I could care less about what you think," he snarled, "Your father will pay for everything he's done."

"Everything he's done?," Violet said with a laugh, "as far as I can recall you are no where closer than you were before. If you were here to discuss your failures than go on ahead, but overall it's such a well told story that I am afraid that I may start to get bored."

His eyes swept up and down her face as he clenched his coffee in his hand. Violet mustered up her best smirk and leaned back. As crazy as this situation was, she felt a spark. A spark she hadn't had in weeks maybe even months. She was handling herself with confidence and she felt amazing. She refused to let him intimidate her.

While Violet was consumed with her thoughts, Buddy took the opportunity to start to take his leave. He stood with a trained indifference. Violet looked up and met his eyes.

"As fun as this has been, I do believe that you have someplace to be," Buddy's eyes never left hers, "I'll be here again same time next week."

"How do you know that I won't just call the Agency?"

"Let's just say that I have a feeling you won't."

Violet watched as he left the room. She found herself sitting in her chair until her coffee was cold to the touch, unmoving and unsure on what to do next. The man who had tried to kill her and her family was free and living. She not only saw him but had a conversation with him. Instead of calling the Agency or even telling her family, she found herself questioning on whether or not to show up to this coffee shop next week and wondered if she would find him in the same secluded room as before.


End file.
